Music Review: Rough Mix

Here's a moderately obscure album that needs to be in your collection: Rough Mix. This disc, which was released in 1977, is a rocking collaboration between The Who mastermind Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane, the bass player for Faces. This is far superior to anything The Who released since Quadrophenia; it beats the hell out of Who Are You and any of the lame albums released after Keith Moon's death. Townshend sounds loose, alive and engaged here, perhaps because Lane challenged him to deliver something worthy. Or maybe they were just having fun. Whatever the reason, this is an awesome album. The music is blistering and challenging. Standouts here include My Baby Gives it Away, Rough Mix, Misunderstood and Townshend's incredible epic, Street in the City. It also features a definitive version of Don Williams' 'Till the Rivers All Run Dry. Joining Townshend and Lane here are Eric Clapton, John Entwistle, Ian Stewart and Charlie Watts. Truly, this is one of my very favorite albums.